Improvement in fire-arms



F.NEUBURY.

MAGAZINE FIREARM. I N9. 14,774. VPATENTE'D. APR. 29, 1856.

, Inventor- UNITED STATES FREDERICK NEWBURY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 1,774, dated April29, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK N EWBURY, of the city of Albany and Stateof New York, have invented certain Improvements in the Construction ofFire-Arms; and I declare the following specification,withthe drawingsaccompanying and forming part of the same, to be a full and perfectdescription thereof.

Figures 1 and 2 represent a pistol with a portion of the stock removedto show the working parts of the apparatus as seen from the right sideof the weapon; Fig. 3, the same as seen from the left side of theapparatus; Fig. 4, a cross-section of the barrel and magazinetubes at ab, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5, a plan of loadblock.-

Similar letters denote the same parts of the apparatus.

WVithin the stock, directly behind the plate A, to which the barrel B isattached or of which it forms a part, lies an oblong rectangular cavity,0, having parallel sides and ends. A rectangular prismatic block, D,equal in length and thickness to the cavity and somewhat more than halfits height, is fitted tov the cavity, so as to move freely but snugly upand down within it. Within its upper region is a chamber, (see Fig. 3,)intended to range with the bore of the barrel B when the block is in theposition shown in Fig. 2, and is to hold a cartridge, (or charge ofpowder and ball.) It is a little larger in bore than the barrel, inorder to slug the ball. The priming-cone is placed within a cavity cutinto the upper rear angle of the block. The block D is kept in this lastposition by a spring, E, underneath it, but is moved downward to theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 3 by the lever G, which is pivoted to thestock just back of the cavity at H. The forward end of the lever, by apeculiarly-shaped jaw, embraces a pin near the center on the side of theblock at J. The rear end of the lever, by another jaw, embraces a pin,k, on the lower front limb of the hammer. It will be seen from thedrawing that by this arrangement the fall of the hammer carries down theblock. The cockin g of it permits it to rise to the top of the cavity.In order to insure steadiness in the movements of the block bothlaterally and vertically, its rear end is provided with a tongue, 1',which moves within a groove cut in the rear plate of its cavity. (SeeFig. 5.)

In order to stop the block when it has reached its proper upper level, abutton, a, is pivoted upon the barrel, which when in place lies alongthe block, its rear end being formed into a sight-piece, a. able for anyreason to take out the block, it is only necessary to turn aside thissight-piece, the upper end of the lever G being an open fork, so thatthe block-pin at J is not held down by it.

The trigger operates the hammer in the usual manner; but I apply thesear-spring to it by forming it into a guard, as shown at M, andattaching it to the lower end of the trigger at m. Under the barrel isattached the load-magazine, consisting of two tubes, NV and Y, unitedtogether by a metal rib, and revolving on centers at each end of therib, so adjusted as to bring at each half-turn the upper tube in rangewith the chamber in the block when down in its lowest position, as shownin Fig. 3. This magazine is fixed in and removable from its place byan yconvenient device for the purpose of loading. When removed, thecartridges are inserted into the rear end and pressed down against aspring lying or coiled within each tube, by which spring the cartridgesare pressed into the chamber of the block whenever it is brought inrange with the upper tube. The tube is kept in place till emptied by alittle spring-detent, q, when the pressure of a-finger upon (1 releasesthe tube and permits its revolution. I do not mean to confine myself todouble tubes, since four times, or any other number, revolving round acenter may as well be used, if needed.

It, from want of cartridges or other cause, it be desirable, by simplyremoving the magazine, the chamber in O can be loaded with loose-powderand ball.

The placing of the magazine in front of the firing apparatus is veryimportant. First, it prevents any injury in case of explosion of themagazine; secondly, it secures the easy removal and management of themagazine; thirdly, it permits prompt use of loose powder and ball.

The magazine for priming-caps is shown in Fig. 3. It consists of acurved tube just large When it becomes desirenough to contain the caps,and opening into the cavity 0 exactly in range of the cone on the blockD when it is brought to its lowest position by the cooking of thehammer, as in Figs. 1 and 3. The tube runs parallel with the upper edgeof the stock, and has a slot in its own upper edge, through which a pinor spindle terminated by a button, P, moves. The spindle has at itslower end, within the tube, a disk, Q, behind which, coiled in the lowerpart of. the tube, is a spring, R, whose office it is to press the diskforward in the tube. By means of a cavity cut down through the stock atS the caps are introduced into the tube, filling up the space forward ofthe disk. The pressure of the disk upon the caps forces them forwardwhenever the cone is unprimed.

To insure the proper fitting of the cap on the cone, a small trigger,it, shaped as shown in the drawings, Fig. 3, is pivoted in a slot justback of the cavity 0, so arranged that its upper limb compresses uponthe rear of a cap and urges it firmly upon the cone. Its lower limb isoperated by a pin on the lower forward end of the hammer, so that thecooking of the hammer presses the upper limb forward, and the descent ofthe hammer drops it out of the way of the coming cap.

To prevent the flame in firing from communicatin g to the magazine-tube,the block D (see Fig. 2) is provided with a flat valve of metal, 0,extending across the block and fitting tightly to the front wall of thechamber, closing the entire month of the magazine-opening, against whichit is kept by a spring lying in a cavity of the block behind it.

To clear the cone from fragments of exploded caps, there is a thin steelspring T T, lying across the upper part of the hammer and close to thestock. Its front edge is curved downward and forked to embrace the conejust below'the cap, and its back edge, pressing upon the stock in theact of cocking, holds the fork down upon the cap till it clears thecone. By

' chamber,

the construction of the fork or slot in the lower end of the leverG,leave is given to the hammer to move a short space before the blockbegins its descent, in order to permit the picker to do its work.

The operation of the apparatus is thus: The magazines of cartridges andcaps being properly filled and the pistol cocked, a cartridge passesinto the chamber of the block and a cap is pressed upon its cone. Thepulling of the trigger drops the hammer, which permits the block toascend by the agency of lever G and spring E. J us't before the hammertouches the cap the little nick in the lever lying under J permits thespring E to carry up the block to its position, Fig. 2, and bring theloadchamber and the bore of the barrel into range an instant before thecap is exploded, and at the same time places the upper end of lever Gagainst a small stop, 10, upon the block, in order to hold it firmly tothe barrel against the recoil. The recocking of the piece causes thecap-picker T to clear the cone of any fragments of the exploded cap,throws down the block D, puts a cap upon the cone while the magazinereloads the chamber, and all is ready for another discharge, and so ontill the magazincs are exhausted.

I do not claim a movable block for loadnor tube-magazines; but

I claim, substantially as set forth in this specification- 1. The methodof operating the block D by the hammer, in combination with the forkedlever G, the spring E, and recoil stop-pin 1),

reference being had to the peculiar form of the lever Gr.

2. The formation of the front trigger-guard into a searspring and itsattachment to the lower end of the trigger.

I disclaim as not new the other parts of the apparatus described in thespecification.

F. NEWBURY.

Witnesses:

RIcHD. VARIOK DE WITT, W. G. MILLER.

